Sprout Watches, an environmentally-friendly watch company, opens its doors in the form of a cozy pop-up shop on Earth Day (April 22) in New York City. New to the eco scene, this watch company really knows its eco inside out. Every watch has a sustainable bamboo dial, naturally bio degradable corn resin case and buckle and an all-natural organic cotton strap.

In addition, lenses are made out of mineral crystal, and the battery is mercury free. We are giving away one watch shown below to a lucky winner, in honor of Earth Day. In case you're wondering, it's extremely light and travel ready.

We visited the pop up store preview last week and were blown away by its commitment to eco consciousness theme, including rustic watch shelves, an organic material wall, bookshelves imported from Idaho, and roomy eco-friendly totes made with recycling material.

Below is a picture of me and the publicist for Sprout Watches, the darling Ashley Jones. To win a watch, leave a comment below. & don't forget to recycle (sorry, mom made me say that).

Visit the pop-up store on 423 West Broadway from 11a.m.-7p.m, Sunday-Fridays. The nearest subway stop is the N/R to Prince Street.

We're giving away the watch above (the very first picture). Leave a comment below to win (the retail value is $30). I'll pick a winner by April 30th. Good luck, and Happy Earth Day!

The epic cupcake crawl finally happened this past weekend in New York City, despite the threat of severe squalls, gusts and rain. My failsafe and intrepid blogger buddies, Aaron and Norbert, decided to meet my husband and I at the famed Cupcake Cafe on 41st Street and 9th Avenue for the sweet adventure. 

For those who don't know Cupcake Cafe, let's say that you won't regret the acquaintance. Their wares are works of art: buttery blossoms that sprout flowers of every shade on moist cakes that run the gamut from vanilla to maple. One part eye candy, and the other part a confectioner's museum piece. We had a field day (note: they taste as though they're made with five sticks of butter…be warned). 

We tasted them in record time until there was nothing left except the buttery wrappers. 

I love the expression on Aaron's face; shall we say, a kid in a cupcake store? 

Then we went uptown for a few blocks to Amy's Bread, a sliver of a store and already a legend in New York. Yes, they do offer other goodies besides bread, and the current cupcake specials were of the Easter variety. 

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Above, the crew and I. We mean business. From left to right in the picture above: Norbert, Matthew Minucci (aka "hubby" & "photog"), Aaron. 

The magic of natural food coloring played a leading role in these cupcakes. But don't be fooled: they were easily the best we tasted during the crawl. The cake itself was moist but not too buttery, and the frosting was perfect — not too sweet. Easily voted the best cupcake of the crawl by all parties involved. 

 Below: incriminating photos and testament to the quality of the fare. I'm still waiting on Aaron and Norbert's "blackmail" money and until then, these photos will remain on the blog. 

A spring interlude of cherry blossoms. I mean, who can resist these? Elegant and white, almost like edelweiss, these trees lit up 9th Avenue like christmas tree lights. We were lucky to snap this before the rain came tumbling down.

Our next stop, Kyotofu, is a sliver of a place (yes, more of a sliver than Amy's Bread) located on 9th Avenue between 49th and 48th. A Japanese dessert place that serves vegan and green tea cupcakes and soy ice cream, this is a must visit for all dessert lovers. New York Magazine voted it home of the "Best Cupcake" and we agree that its healthy and light treats leave you sated without feeling heavy. 

The decor gets an A+ rating. It's sparkling clean, and they have little wooden spoons that look so feng shui. A lot of detail went into making this shop pristine, perfect and calm. 

Above: chocolate & matcha green tea cupcakes from Kyotofu. The shop also serves sake, shochu, beer and wine. 

It was at Kyotofu where we met more blogger comrades: Sarah Wu and her friend, another photog, Akito Nakahara. 

After excited meet and greets, we headed to Magnolia Bakery near Rockefeller Center, famous for its cameo appearance in Sex and the City. The store entertains visitors with its visually appealing treats in many flavors, from pumpkin, pistachio, red velvet and vanilla buttercream. On our way there, the rain started to pour buckets. But the line to Magnolia was out the door! We actually had to stand outslde for about five minutes with our drugstore umbrellas, bravely trying to survive the storm. We were also delighted to finally meet Lisa from ChickyBus at Magnolia. Blogger reunions are fun!

Below, the illustrious women and men of Magnolia Bakery, trying to keep calm despite the overwhelming demand for baked goods.

Our first blogger cupcake crawl was a triumphant success and ended on a sugar high and a positive note. We tasted several masterpieces, and soon I felt like Michael in "The Office" when he crashes on his birthday from a sugar high. Every place we visited was so well worth the stop, and made us realize how fortunate we are living in the Big Apple. Only New York could offer so many cupcake stores within a few square miles. 

Feeling like you missed out? If you're in the area and want to join in on our next crawl, leave a comment below. Spread the sugar love! 

When I was a college student I won a scholarship for a summer tip to Greece where I witnessed my first truly jaw-dropping, almost Homeric sunset. As I stood at the tip of Attica, at a point called Sounion where the stately Temple of Poseidon looks over the Aegean Sea, I witnessed the sun sink down in epic fashion into the briny expanse of the ocean. Every wave was awash with a spectrum of colors from purple to pink to salmon.

A repeat performance occurred in Aruba this past February. The island provides an excellent backdrop from which to snap sunsets. The beaches are totally pristine, and the quality of the sand is like confectioner's sugar. There are no seashells, and the color of the ocean manages to radiate shades of blue, from the pale robin's egg color to a deeper, darker Atlantic shade.

Add to this an inviting landscape, silhouettes of lean cruise ships, petite lobster boats and the iconic, gnarly and almost poetic Divi Divi trees that are one part bonsai, one part temperate shrub… voila, the recipe for a poster.

The first sunset we loved just happened on our first day there when we took a boat out to Renaissance Island (this is the island where we saw the flamingos..there are a few sunset photos in that post as well). This was a gentle sunset, no fiery-blazed skies or streaks of orange across the horizon. A quiet chamomile tea of a sunset.

The next sunset we witnessed that was photo worthy produced these two shots (above) that were taken from the balcony of the Marriott Stellaris Casino in Aruba. First, I saw a stronge blaze of yellow-orange color, and in a few minutes, the ocean was painted completely blood red. I have NEVER before in my life seen anything quite like this (apart from that one instance in Sounion).

The above photo was taken on our second day of our visit to Renaissance Island. There's something so calming about this picture…the gentle bay and the curving ocean feel like a lullaby.

The final sunset we loved happened on the sixth day or our visit, on our way back from a visit to the famed Aruba Lighthouse. Pale as amber, the sun lit the sky almost as though it was getting ready to burn it, but then decidedly took a softer turn. We were speeding down the road in our rented car, and as soon as I saw this "frame" of the Divi Divi tree, cruise ship in the distance and the water, I knew I had to have this shot.
Please excuse the lens flare.

- Charu Suri